


Accidental Hero

by Lyrishadow



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29898033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrishadow/pseuds/Lyrishadow
Summary: Falling down a hill saved his life once, being on shore leave saved a whole colony, being on a colony saved a galaxy, being part of the galaxy... well... spectre came because he was there... Ambrose is certain he isn't really anything or anyone special. Kaidan Alenko has known him forever and has a whole other view of the man - the two of them are set to change the galaxy one way or another.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard
Kudos: 1





	1. Mindoir

Aside from an unusually healthy metabolism, Ambrose was just average- average height, average sporting skill, and average farming skills. He was normal looking for a mixed-race colony kid on Mindoir, mom Korean, Dad Australian - though his grey eyes were tinged purple and that was different if you could see them behind his glasses. Studious, always reading, Ambrose was known for being smart but not street smart. Not even playground smart and even on Mindoir, there were bullies. For Ambrose, his Dad tried teaching him some self-defense, gave up, and let his mom teach him tae kwon do. This did stick, and tho it was his last resort he could at least gain strength from knowing he had one. He did like tech, was constantly tinkering with his omni tool, taking photos of the farm and his parents. The day his biotics came in he was already running late for school. Kissed his mom goodbye, gave his dad a hug, grabbed his bag, and ran. It was a fairly ordinary day of classes. A test in earth history that he aced, one in math as well and on it went. The thing is Ambrose was happy. Content. Life was good.  
Then the newest bully, still to establish his rule of tyranny as it were, accosted him as he left the sanctuary of the school gate.  
"Chicken?"  
"What? I don't even know you?" Ambrose shook his head lightly and returned to his book.  
"Do I have to break...these?" The bully reached out and snatched Ambrose's glasses from his face.   
"Hey now." Ambrose sighed "please return them."  
"Please return them" the bully mimicked before tossing them over into a muddy swamp that ran along the road. Not deep, but deep enough to lose the expensive item immediately.  
"Who are you?"   
"Si… call me… your almighty ruler of the school, and I won't throw you on top of your damn glasses."   
"Look Si, I see fine without them. I need them for reading."  
"Oh so sad." The bully laughed, moving forward. "But you didn't address me correctly…" the bully cracked his neck. His friends laughed.   
This was the moment Ambrose's eyes glowed purple for the first time, it was subtle, but backing up his taekwondo defenses and it made the other kids run.  
"Freak!" Si yelled, pushing a shocked Ambrose, bag, and all into the swamp where he was promptly covered in mud.   
Normally bullies don't get punished near as fast as Ambrose saw Si punished at least that is what he thought originally as the boy fell to the ground holding his head and screaming. Thinking it was perhaps Si's father approaching Ambrose backed away further into the shadows of the reeds.   
A batarian, dressed in worn-out mining gear approached yelling obscenities at the kid; slapping a slave collar on and pushing him still screaming towards newly built cages that held men women, and children of all rank and file. Rumors had been enough for Ambrose to know: Batarian slavers.  
"Shit." He crawled further in the mud until it connected to the road. Then at a dead run, leaving the burning town behind him he headed for home.  
He made it just as he saw his parents executed. Falling to the ground again he cried silently, not seeing the batarian who had remained to rifle through the barn, turn with a sword and take a swing that sliced across his face.   
Fainting, Ambrose apparently smelt and looked dead after being in the swamp so he was left alone. Digging through his bag he found medigel and slapped some on his wound before crawling low over to his parents.  
"Oma?" He called her the pet name, Korean for mom, a name that she had loved. She was gone. "I’m sorry Oma. I’m sorry."  
"Dad?" Moving carefully he saw his father’s lips move "Dad! Let me get help… let me…"  
"No...Ambrose...listen...stay alive.. live well.. be brave."  
"I will."  
"Alliance. I served. Friends. Find papers" he got a second wind and spoke clearly " the safe code is your birthday… remember us, but let me rest with your Oma, please." Then he was gone too. Screams and smoke were filling the valley below.   
Ambrose tried standing, the wound on his face was deeper than he had thought and he had done something to his ankle. Still, he had to hurry in case they came back. Gritting his teeth against the pain he trod carefully into the stone build farmhouse, the only one in the area. In his parent’s room was a false wall with a safe, inside was the deed, some financial documents, and letters from friends. All of this Ambrose stuffed into his bag. He slipped over to his mother’s dresser and grimaced, taking the prized pearl necklace from its stand before placing it in the inner pocket of the same bag, it would do nothing for the Batarians to be sporting their belongings, or selling them at some third rate shop on Omega.   
Sounds downstairs made him hastily retreat to his own room., looking around there was nothing he wanted, except one small thumb drive of photos he had been copying as a project for his mom for her birthday all the pictures of the family together. The few they had of other family members. For the first time in his life, Ambrose was happy to be an only child. He slipped out his window as he had a thousand times to watch the stars, and slid down to the ground from the low first story roof, flinching at the sound of smashing glass, he misstepped and slid down the embankment to the edge of the stream below.

It took the Alliance twenty-four horror-filled hours to rescue Mindoir, by the time they came to the small colonial town where Ambrose attended school; there was no-one left. The children, adults, and others were either dead or burning, some still alive and unreachable were being thrown into that same fire. Children as young as six were being forced to wear slave collars. Ambrose woke to find two very human people looking down at him with a frown.  
“Who are you?”Ambrose asked, his voice sounding low and dangerous, though quite what he could have done to defend himself and his bag he had no idea. He felt like his arms weighed a ton, and his eyes wanted to close of their own accord. He was tired, exhausted even, covered in mud, blood, and grass. Some of it had washed off to reveal more cuts and bruises.  
“Alliance.” A gentle voice, with a soft lilt, said quietly “ here to save anyone, everyone, we can.”  
“Everyone?”Ambrose sobbed then, “there is no-one left.”  
“Yeah.” the other man replied, “We know.”  
“Then we save you.” The man with a lilt pulled a bag from his back and found an energy bar “When did you eat last?”  
“I don’t know…”   
“Drink?”  
“Well… when I fell down here, I slipped into the water, and…”  
“Got a mouthful of freshwater, got it.”The man replied running his scanner over the boy concerned “Medigel was a good call, but that cut needs… attention.”  
Ambrose nodded, and the man glanced at the other guy who shook his head.  
“Alright, Ambrose is it?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Hop on the stretcher for me, you can rest upon the vehicle while we travel, won’t be perfect but that broken ankle will appreciate being strapped down.” Nodding the two men worked together quickly to get Ambrose back to safety. If this kid was the only survivor from Mindoir, then by god they would see that he would survive.


	2. The Survivor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He survived.

“Kids in a bad way, Anderson, are you sure you can find his father’s old squadmates?” Admiral Hackett looked at Captain Anderson with a frown, they were both new to their respective positions but right now that wasn’t the thing that was giving them most concern.  
“I am hoping so Sir, the kid had letters from his father to an old friend, surname Alenko, out of Vancouver’s reserves. I suspect it is Marcus Alenko.”  
“You mean THE Marcus Alenko? He would have been... Well.. in my job by now had he not quit to go run that farm?”  
“One and the same, his wife makes a very good red wine from what I understand.”  
“Guess I will have to try that one.” Hacket smiled slightly “Didn’t he have a son?”  
“Kaidan Alenko.”  
“Oh. I see.”  
“Yes, which is why I am hesitant to contact the man and…”  
“Alenko might find that Kaidan rises to the challenge of helping another kid.” the Admiral mused pulling a stack of files towards himself and cutting it in half “Ah here we go. That’s what I thought.”  
“Oh?”  
“Read the file for yourself.” Hacket handed over the unredacted file and Anderson suddenly found himself educated “Naturally it doesn’t leave this office.”  
“Of course. I have heard a lot of this. Oh, this is tragic.”  
“Now you understand?”  
“Why do you believe Ambrose Shepard can help Kaidan?”  
“I don’t, I think Kaidan can help Ambrose.” Anderson nodded at that suggestion “I want Kaidan to do some re-integration training, between now and when we send him back to earth - maybe have him volunteer in the hospital here.”  
“Ambrose is here then?”  
“Yes, he is.” Hacket let out a deep breath.”Be useful to have them meet. Ambrose is half Korean, his mother was raised in her home country in a fairly traditional way.”


	3. Alenko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alenko, Kaidan. Escorted from Jump Zero... to.. Arcturus?

The fact they put him on transport to Arcturus instead of to earth made Kaidan Alenko assume he was going to be punished and put in a cell for an extended period of time.  
“It’s my own fault,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have let him get to me.”  
“You alright kid?” his guard leaned over and asked, clearly concerned. “Sorry about the cuffs, technically you are still under arrest.”  
“I am?”  
“Just the orders I was given. To keep you safe, you are under arrest.”  
“Keep… me safe?” Kaidan asked unable to process the information correctly.  
“Yeah, brass sent the order down that you are to be protected, escorted to Arcturus but to make it look as if you were under arrest. Are you hungry?”  
“A little.” He had not used his biotics for a while but the kick that had killed Vyrannas had depleted his energy and the pain in his side had grown sharper.   
“Here you go.” The guard watched him with a frown “We would have all done what you did. Not that it’s brave but, it was a long time coming.”  
“He… didn’t… deserve it though,” Kaidan replied, why was it also hard to breathe now?  
“Kid, are you injured?”  
“Simon, need you.” The guard called to another man on the shuttle “Kids injured.”  
“Alright. Get the cuffs off him.”Simon took over and the cuffs came off, Kaidan fell back against the seat as they took a look at his shirt and then each other.  
“Going to give you a little drop to make you rest ok Kaidan?”  
“Ok.” Things were fuzzy anyhow, he doubted a sleeping medication would be an issue.   
closed his eyes and dreamed of a time years ago when his father had taken him to his squad’s reunion on Arcturus in one of the many mess halls that lined the inner ring.  
“Jacob Shepard, how are you doing?”  
“Marcus Alenko.” the two men exchanged a hug, a lingering affection Kaidan hadn’t expected.  
“This is Ambrose, my son.” The man gestured to a boy about Kaidan’s age sitting on a seat with a book. “Ambrose, take your nose out of a book, this is a party.”  
“Sory.” the boy looked up at Kaidan and his eyes shimmered purple in the light of the room.  
“This is Kaidan, my boy. “Kaidan’s dad placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile.” My wife is over talking to the brass, and your wife?”  
“She’s over there too.” Jacob chuckled “How’s it been, Marcus? Been years since I saw you last? How’s the farming in Canada?”  
“Very good, the wife has a vineyard, and I have to see to the trees in the orchard. A lot of work but worth it.”  
“How’s the boy handle it.”  
“Kaidan… he’s special. He goes away next week.” Marcus gently pushed Kaidan over to Ambrose, who looked up and shrugged as he sat down. Kaidan heard his dad confess “He has biotics, Jacob, I don’t know what else to do but let them take him.”  
“I know the feeling. At least on Mindoir, Ambrose has a chance.” Jacob sighed as Ambrose handed over a snack from his secret stash.  
“At least he eats like one.” Marcus chuckled. “How is your wife doing Jacob?”  
“Kim is… well.” Jacob glanced over to where his wife stood talking to Mrs. Amy Alenko, Kim always stood out at these events, in her traditional clothing. Still as beautiful as she was the day he had met her.   
“Jacob! I would never know you had been a married man for years!”Marcus teased, “Let’s get the kids some food. “  
The two men left the two boys on the seat playing video games on their omni tools.  
“Is it true?”Kaidan asked Ambrose quietly.   
“Is what true?”   
“Your biotics… you have them?”  
“Yes but…” Ambrose sighed and closed his eyes “All they have done is changed my eyes”  
“You will grow into them.”Kaidan replied, “Then they will give you an implant.”  
“Is it ok? To just grow into them?”  
“What you think biotics are super powerful overnight.”  
“Some are. “Kaidan replied frowning at Ambrose “Some just … well you will need to practice when you get them. Meanwhile, learn to fight with other skills. I don’t know, grab a sniper rifle.”  
“Ok. I think. “ Ambrose nodded and they went back to playing computer games.   
“Ambrose? Time to go…”  
Kaidan woke with a start, a cold stab of recognition went through him, he was on Arcturus.   
“Hello there Kaidan, at ease soldier.” A man stood by the end of the bed, the captain pips on his uniform new, making Kaidan attempt to salute but flinch in the process.  
“You aren’t even enlisted Kaidan, you don’t have to salute me.” Anderson came over pulling up a chair “How are you feeling?”  
“Like i got stabbed, sir.”  
“Well you did, so I guess that is on track. The wound is healing but you had no idea he had stabbed you?”  
“None sir.” Kaidan stared down at the green bed covers. “Am I in prison now sir?”  
“No Kaidan, you are in the hospital on Arcturus, we have another patient for you to see here, and help if you can,” Anderson replied simply.  
“And if I refuse?”  
“You can refuse, we just send you home, no strings attached.”  
“I sense there is a but there Sir?”  
“The boy is your age, was on Mindoir…”  
“Mindoir...what happened on Mindoir?" Kaidan sounded confused, he knew his friend Ambrose was on Mindoir.  
"Mindoir was attacked by slavers, there was only one survivor."   
"Who?" A cold chill settled on Kaidan, he and Ambrose had not spent a lot of time together but they had bonded.   
"Someone you might know." Anderson admitted "Ambrose Shepard."   
Kaidan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he realized Ambrose had lost everyone else.   
"His parents?"  
Anderson looked away, how hard it had been to have the same conversation with Ambrose when he woke up.   
"No, they didn't make it. Ambrose has trauma, he saw … he saw a lot he shouldn't have had to deal with."  
"Can I see him?"   
"We were worried you wouldn't want to. You have been through an ordeal yourself." Anderson told him Kaidan frowned.  
"I… haven't processed what happened at Jump zero Sir. But I know my motives were to help my friends, and I can't sit by while Ambrose suffers on his own."  
"Good." Anderson nodded and helped Kaidan up from the bed, "easy, they gave you a decent number of stitches."   
"Maybe a scar so I remember my lesson," Kaidan muttered, taking a moment before nodding and following Anderson through to the door beyond which Ambrose lay.   
"Good luck, Kaidan, he needs you right now."


	4. Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fate is there whether we want it to be or not, and isn't going anywhere.

Kaidan pushed the door open, hoping that Ambrose was himself,  
"Who is it?" The tone, the tense anger was not the Ambrose he remembered.  
"Kaidan Alenko." He identified himself, his entire sense of anticipation at seeing someone he was friends with dissolved in the next second.  
"Is this a joke? They sent Kaidan to jump zero." There was anger, a lot of anger.  
"No joke. Long story. God Ambrose…."  
"Come over so I can see it’s you please," Ambrose asked, and Kaidan moved, standing by the bed he looked down into the crystal purple eyes of Ambrose Shepard.  
"Been a bad week huh?" Ambrose sighed with frustration “If you are here, it’s been a shit week.”  
"Sorry." Kaidan started to say but Ambrose shook his head, Kaidan could see a row of stitches on one side of his face.   
They sent you to help me?" The tone was that nothing could help.  
"Yeah, sort of." Kaidan wasn’t sure if he should mention Jump zero, or talk about Vryannas, or even why he had been on Arcturus.  
"Stronger than me. “ Ambrose’s eyes slid down to his hands, covered in a layer of medi-gel embedded dressing. “I'm only alive by chance…"  
"Ambrose, you know it's not true," Kaidan objected.   
"They died in front of me, how is it that I'm alive?" Ambrose replied bitterly  
"Your Mom would have called it fate." Kaidan replied, "an immovable fact that certain things happen for reasons we can’t see."  
"Fate?" Kim Shepard had spoken of fate to the boys, the week they had spent together before Kaidan was sent to Jump zero, two years ago. Their friendship was fate, and it was tied so firmly, she had said, that not even time apart was going to break it.   
"You can be angry, yell, whatever you need," Kaidan said then, "I'm not leaving you."  
"Don't you have to go home?" Ambrose was not looking at Kaidan, he was staring at the door.  
"Easy, come with me." Kaidan shrugged " they were looking for dad anyhow."   
“Why… wait... My bag?” Ambrose’s eyes were wide, panicked “Kaidan I need my bag!”  
“Ambrose, it’s fine.”   
“No!” Ambrose was starting to really panic, and an alert triggered on one of the machines.  
“Out now.” The nurse rushed in and pushed Kaidan out.   
“He just needs his bag,” Kaidan said looking worried.  
“We don’t allow anyone in here who isn’t family.” the nurse stated  
“Right.” Kaidan took a step back and grimaced, he had forgotten that he was a patient too.  
“And you are a patient too? Who let you come down here?” The nurse sounded shocked


	5. What Happened At Jump Zero?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all come with our own bags, some of them are good, some of them bad.

“Captain Anderson.” A voice, calm and self-assured said loudly the nurse stood shocked as Admiral Steven Hackett rounded the corner.  
“Sorry, sir I didn’t know.”  
“I heard the kid was struggling. I okayed the interaction.” Hackett looked at the boy who was wincing nearby “Do you keep all your patients out of bed nurse?”  
“This one is the one from Jump zero sir.. I…” Kaidan looked confused from one to the other, feeling more and more like he should be sitting down.  
“I will see him to his room then. Alenko with me.” Kaidan had no choice but to follow.  
“Yes Sir.” His room was across the hall and Kaidan was nervous as he followed the man who held enough authority that he could send him to jail for what happened on Jump Zero.   
“We need to talk,” Hackett said as he took a seat next to Kaidan’s bed.  
“Yes Sir.” Kaidan lowered his eyes as he sat down,   
“Not like that, you aren’t in trouble here. I have seen the entire file.”  
“Sir what do you mean by the entire file? Versus what?”  
“You were sent to Jump Zero two years ago for BaAt. Did it work, was it helpful?”  
“To some degree, I learned to cook, a bit about biotics and how to control them,” Kaidan admitted.  
“You learned to cook?” The question was amused, maybe even laughing as Kaidan nodded.  
“Well, a young biotic who cannot cook for themselves, go hungry.” Kaidan explained, “Going hungry is a bad thing.”  
“Very true.” Hackett shifted his posture “Tell me about Vryannas.”  
“He was… the lead of the biotics training.”  
“Was?”  
“I…. “ Kaidan swallowed hard “I killed him.”  
“He did die from trauma from a biotic kick to the skull. Correct.” Hackett continued, Kaidan shook his head slowly.  
“He threatened my friend, broke her arm. Would have killed others, and me.” Kaidan’s reply sank into the air between them.  
“So you defended a friend, saved lives, and came away injured?”  
“Yes, I suppose you could say that…”  
“Kaidan. You did something that was right.”  
“I…”  
“My son is here?” a voice outside the room cut through the conversation.  
“Your Dad has just flown in from Vancouver.” Hackett seemed very pleased.  
“Marcus Alenko as I live and breathe!”  
“Steven Hacket!” The two men greeted like long-lost army buddies.  
Kaidan tried to hide a little lower in the bed.  
“Kaidan?” His dad asked, coming over to his son, pulling him into a hug.”God’s kiddo, what have you been through?”  
Kaidan didn’t mean to flinch but the wound on his side caught and he had no choice.  
“Wounded?” Even Hackett turned and frowned at that “How badly are you wounded?”  
They closed the door and looked at Kaidan expectantly, and Kaidan slowly lifted his shirt to reveal the long slice from the military-issued talon knife Vrynasas had waved at him. It still had minor treatment, some stitches and some dressing but needed further care.  
“Kaidan.” His dad breathed “I had.. They said you were hurt but they made it sound light.”  
“Let me call a nurse and find out more,” Hackett added as he left the room.  
“Dad, am I a criminal?”  
“We are working that out, son.” His Dad replied honestly. At least that was something, no false reassurances, no lies about being perfect or right. Just the truth as his Dad had always told him.  
“I lost my temper.”  
“I know. You need to control that.” Marcus Alenko sighed “You can’t change what happened, everything has consequences, even the right thing.”  
A different nurse bustled in and ushered his dad out so she could treat the wounds, Kaidan lay back and watched her remove the dressing.  
“I apologize for my colleague sir, she has been sent to a different floor.”  
Kaidan knew people were afraid of biotics, and rumors spread fast enough about him coming here he supposed. He suddenly wondered if he was ever going to be able to blend in or disappear in the crowd.  
“I’m okay.” He replied instead. The nurse sighed and shook her head.  
“I always thought biotics were useful, not something to be feared.”  
“Useful?”  
“Yes. You know, to protect others; to serve to… I don’t know..”  
“I think I failed in the useful department.”  
“You aren’t done yet.” She replied “Besides, I doubt you would have a slice like this if the person you were facing wasn’t truly terrible. No-one pulls a knife this big on a kid.”  
“I.. it was…”  
“I don’t even care if he was afraid of you, if he was a teacher or some person in authority, then he should have had other methods yes?”  
“Maybe you are right.”  
“You can’t carry all the little black clouds around forever, Kaidan Alenko” The nurse grinned and then added “All done, the gel should help now, and the stitches will heal nicely.”  
“Thank you,” Kaidan said, and he meant for more than the medical care.   
“I read the file Marcus, Kaidan is a good kid.” Steven Hackett was saying as they came back into the room “I don’t see this as anything but a political mess.”  
“So I am in trouble?”  
“Not if I can help it.”  
“He says that, he means that.” Marcus Alenko smiled at his son “For now heading home to Earth is a good option for us.”  
“What about Ambrose?”  
“It’s more complicated…”  
“Dad, please? He needs a chance as much as I do.”


End file.
